


i lost my way in your city lights

by irisowari



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Children, Children of Characters, Divorce, Iwaizumi Hajime is a Good Friend, M/M, Original Character(s), Parenthood, Post-Divorce
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-15
Updated: 2020-12-15
Packaged: 2021-03-10 04:47:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,590
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27758647
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/irisowari/pseuds/irisowari
Summary: tooru has just finalized a divorce with his wife and his world feels like it's fallen apart. hajime comes in and helps him pick up the pieces.[oikawa fic exchange winter 2020 gift for kei]
Relationships: Iwaizumi Hajime/Oikawa Tooru
Kudos: 8
Collections: Oikawa Exchange Winter 2020





	i lost my way in your city lights

**Author's Note:**

  * For [kamunamis](https://archiveofourown.org/users/kamunamis/gifts).



> Thanks to [Tara](https://archiveofourown.org/users/itsmyusualweeb) for beta-reading!

Tooru walked into the small apartment he had just moved into, his six-month-old daughter held closely in his arms. After he shut the door, he walked into his bedroom, where there was a crib in the corner of the room next to his bed. He gently laid her down, her bright blue eyes curiously staring up at him.  _ The same as her mother’s eyes, _ Tooru noted. At least she has his hair color.

He looked closer at those blue eyes, noticing they were drooping. He knew she wouldn’t be able to understand him, but he said something to her anyway. “Go to sleep, Aiko.”

Within a few minutes, her tired eyes had finally shut. Tooru walked into the living room, taking a seat on the brown sofa by the door. He rested his head in his hands, doing his all to hold back the tears threatening to slip down his cheeks.

He had finalized a divorce with his wife of three years. He knew they hadn’t been getting along for the last year of their relationship, so be it. He was aware it wouldn’t be good for their daughter to grow up in a home with parents going at it every day. He believed he still loved his wife. All Tooru wished for was to stay with his wife, and the arguing would cease even if he knew a divorce was best for the family.

Tooru thought about taking a walk later in the night to help take his mind off of the divorce temporarily. He knew it wasn’t much, but it was something to pass the time.

Tooru quickly made some ramen before he grabbed his coat and took Aiko out of her crib. Once she was bundled up in a warm coat, he buckled her into a stroller and grabbed a bag with all of Aiko’s necessities and his phone and apartment key.

After walking a few blocks from his apartment building, Tooru decided he’d walk to the park where concerts were held every Saturday. He went there whenever he and his ex-wife had gotten into arguments and needed somewhere to let things cool down for the night.

The park lamps were turned on, which made Tooru realize how late it truly was. He checked the time on his phone, seeing it was eight at night. He decided to continue his walk anyway; he always made sure he had pepper spray on him just in case someone tried stealing something off of him.

(Not that he had much for someone to take from him anyway. The one precious thing he had was his daughter.)

As he approached the center of the park, he saw a person with familiar dark, spiky hair sitting on a park bench. He believed he recognized the figure, though he wasn’t quite sure.

_ Only one way to know for sure _ Tooru thought.

“Iwa-chan?” Tooru spoke.

The figure’s head turned around and through the glows of the park lamps, he saw the features of his best friend, Hajime, from high school.

“Shittykawa?” Hajime responded, eyes widening. He got up from the bench and walked up to Tooru. “It’s been forever since I’ve seen you!” he exclaimed. He looked at the stroller to see Aiko, asleep with her thumb in her mouth. “Who’s this little ray of sunshine?”

Tooru chuckled. “She’s Aiko. She just turned six months old.” 

Hajime took a closer look into the stroller, being careful not to wake up the sleeping baby. “She’s so adorable.”

Tooru smiled. He liked how Hajime took a liking to his daughter right away. “Well, what’s gone on with you since we’ve last seen each other?”

“Well…” Hajime drifted off. “I did marry a woman named Mizuki and we had a son Kisho, and then our twins Nyoko and Nobu, but I divorced her a few years ago.”

“Oh, why is that if you don’t mind me asking?” Tooru tilted his head in curiosity.

Hajime sighed. “I found out she was cheating on me with one of her friends. She took the kids, left, and I have no clue where she is right now.” Tears filled his dark eyes and he looked to the ground. “I haven’t seen my kids in a few years and I miss them so much. I’m trying to save up money to sue her for partial custody.”

Tooru put a hand on Hajime’s shoulder. “I hope you’re able to do that soon and win. I’m sure you’re an amazing father.”

Hajime nodded. “I do too. By now, my oldest son has already started primary school and the twins are going to start kindergarten next year. All I want is to be a part of their life and for them to see their father. I just hope they remember me…”

“I’m sure they do,” Tooru reassured the other. “And if they don’t, I know they’ll get along with you great. You’re an amazing man, Iwa-chan.”

Hajime looked up and met Tooru’s chocolate brown eyes. “Thank you. I hope you’re right.” Hajime quickly rubbed his eyes, lightly sniffling. “Well, what about you? I know you’re a father, but what else has happened with you in the last few years?”

Tooru’s emotions hit him like a tsunami and tears immediately filled his eyes. Hajime looked confused and he placed a hand on his friend’s shoulder.

“Is everything alright, Tooru?” Hajime asked Tooru. Tooru was surprised Hajime hadn’t called him ‘Shittykawa,’ or ‘Trashykawa.’

“Today, I finalized a divorce with me and my wife,” Tooru stated. “I do love her, but things haven’t gone well in the past year. We argued almost every day, and a few months ago, we agreed on having a divorce. Things are just hard right now, and I know it won’t be easy getting over this. I’m just scared to take care of Aiko on my own.”

“If you need help taking care of her, I’d be happy to help you out,” Hajime replied. “Being a single parent is rough. I’m working part-time right now, so if you need someone to take care of her, call me and you can always bring her over to mine.”

A tear slipped out of Tooru’s brown eyes and he sniffled. “Thank you, Hajime. It means a lot. I’ll consider that.”

Hajime smiled at the other man. “I’m glad. I know it’s been a long time, but I do understand what you’re going through and as I said, I want to help you. I can tell you need it right now.”

Tooru returned the smile. “Seriously, thank you so much. You didn’t have to do this but you’re offering to anyway…”

Hajime shrugged. “Well, I want to help you when I’m unable to tend to my kids. Helping you take care of your daughter will help me feel a little better. I promise it’s no problem.”

Hajime looked down to the baby in the stroller, whose blue eyes had fluttered open. He kneeled a bit and smiled at her. Aiko tilted her head just a bit before he tickled her, causing her to giggle and give him a toothless grin.

“She’s adorable, Tooru,” Hajime looked at him quickly before returning his glance to Aiko. “She looks so much like you. I know you’ll raise her right.”

Tooru giggled. “Well, I’m sure it’ll go better since you’re planning to help me.”

Hajime glanced at Tooru. “Well, you’re still her parent. She’ll learn more from you than she would from me.”

“I guess,” Tooru replied. He watched Hajime speak to Aiko in a silly voice, continuing to make the baby giggle at him. Something about the way Aiko looked happy with Hajime gave him faith that things would get better from there.

-

A few months had passed since Tooru and his ex had divorced. He felt a little bit better about it, but he wasn’t over it and still cried at night every once in a while. Sometimes he would break down in front of Hajime resulting in being comforted and Hajime staying over so the single father wasn’t alone. He always felt a lot better in the morning even though the pain that came from the divorce left a tear in his heart that hadn’t been completely stitched up yet.

By then, Aiko had just begun to crawl which Tooru was very excited for. He was happy his daughter was growing up and he couldn’t wait until she would learn more.

Aiko had also grown closer to Hajime. Whenever she would cry and Hajime was at her side, she cuddled up to him and nuzzled her head against him, which Tooru thought was adorable. It’s almost as if his daughter saw Hajime as a second dad. At first, the concept was a little strange to Tooru, but then he adjusted to it and loved the idea.

Tooru’s ex had contacted him saying she didn’t want anything to do with their daughter and didn’t want to file for custody. He was heartbroken about it. He wanted Aiko’s mother to be in her life and love her. Help celebrate her birthday parties, watch her grow up, and experience her big events in school. It upset Tooru how her mother didn’t want to take part in Aiko’s life.

Tooru just got home after work, seeing Hajime trying to teach Aiko how to walk. Seeing his daughter giggling while Hajime was helping her made Tooru smile.

“I see she’s having fun,” Tooru said as he set his keys on the table in his kitchen. He walked over to Hajime and Aiko and kneeled on the floor.

“I guess so.” Hajime returned the smile then went back to watching Aiko. “She’s gotten better! I’m very proud of her. She still needs a lot of guidance though.”

“Well, I’m glad you’re teaching her,” Tooru commented. “I’m not here enough to be able to teach her myself.”

Hajime helped Aiko sit before turning to Tooru. “Hey, don’t put yourself down like that. You’re an amazing dad. You have a job, so of course, you’re going to be away sometimes. You’re still trying to support the family by working.”

A tear slipped down Tooru’s face. “Yeah, but… I’m still not here enough. She’s going to hate me if I’m not around.”

Hajime pulled Tooru into a hug. “No, she won’t. She’ll understand. She’ll know you’re trying to support the two of you.”

Tooru returned the hug and rested his head on the other man’s shoulder. He sniffled. “I hope so.”

Hajime pulled away, placing his hands on Tooru’s shoulders. He stared into Tooru’s chocolatey eyes. “She will. Trust me.” Hajime sighed and wiped the tears off of Tooru’s face. “You’re a great dad, Tooru, I promise. I know Aiko will think so too.”

Tooru nodded, sniffling once more. “Thank you. You’re an amazing father figure as well.”

Something about Tooru’s reply made his heart flutter, but Hajime decided to ignore it. “Thank you as well.”

Hajime slept on the couch at Tooru’s apartment that night as Tooru was still feeling a bit insecure about his parenting. Hajime did his best to reassure Tooru that he’s a good father, but nothing seemed to convince him. He just continued to think otherwise.

On the day Aiko turned ten months old, Tooru was off of work and stayed with Aiko. Hajime had asked if he could come over at dinnertime and they could cook sushi, which Tooru agreed to do since he didn’t know what he wanted to cook for dinner.

The two were in the living room, Tooru going to the kitchen every once in a while to check on their dinner.

Tooru had just finished making dinner and was about to announce it when he saw Hajime let go of Aiko, seeing her taking her first steps. Hajime stood and started shouting words of encouragement and Tooru began jumping. Aiko giggled and they could see her baby teeth. She sat down after walking across the living room and Hajime ran over to Tooru and the two hugged each other. They let go and ran over to Aiko’s spot on the ground and they hugged her tightly. She continued giggling as Tooru peppered her small face with kisses. The sushi that was made had been forgotten.

“I’m so proud of you, baby girl!” Tooru exclaimed with a huge smile on his face. He turned to look at Hajime, who was also smiling wide. “Thank you so much for teaching her how to walk. She couldn’t have learned without you.”

“Hey, it’s nothing.” Hajime shrugged. “I’d do anything to help you two out more.”

Tooru’s smile got bigger. The two continued staring into each other’s eyes before looking down at the girl in their arms. Her eyes began drooping a little bit and it was obvious she was sleepy.

“I forgot! Dinner is ready,” Tooru told the other man. “I’ll go put her to bed, you can begin eating.”

Tooru started standing until Hajime grabbed his wrist. “I can do that, you go eat. You’ve been working hard at work. I’m sure you’re starving.”

Tooru decided not to argue with him and sighed. “Alright, I’ll get your plate ready as well.”

Hajime smiled at him once more before picking up the tired baby and getting up, carrying her to her room. Tooru got up as well and walked into the kitchen, grabbing two ceramic plates for them both. He distributed the sushi between the two, leaving some leftovers. He set them on the table and he sat down and began eating. Hajime entered about a minute later, doing the same.

Hajime spent the night. They continued celebrating Aiko’s first steps.

-

It was Aiko’s first birthday and Hajime and Tooru were quite excited to celebrate it. Tooru had left to buy a cake from the bakery downtown while Hajime was organizing the presents on the table in the living room. They agreed to get a chocolate cake for the three of them and the guests to eat while making a smaller cake for her to hopefully smash her face in and make a mess.

Hajime had just finished situating the presents when Tooru entered the apartment with a chocolate cake in his hand.

“Hey, I just finished getting the presents together,” Hajime told Tooru. “Now all we have to do is make the cake.”

“I can’t wait to celebrate her birthday!” Tooru said as he set the cake on the counter. “She’s growing up so fast.”

Hajime grabbed the necessary dishes to make the cake. “I can’t wait either. I hope she has fun with her party.”

Tooru grabbed the ingredients and the two began making the cake. After about two hours, the cake was out of the oven and they slathered the top of it with purple frosting after it was cooled down. The cake smelled good and wasn’t burnt so Tooru and Hajime assumed the cake wasn’t a fail.

“Who all are coming over for the party?” Hajime asked Tooru, turning to look at him.

“I invited Takahiro and Shoyo. Shoyo’s boyfriend is coming along as well,” Tooru replied, the two walking into the living room. “I told them to come over at six, so they should be here in two hours.”

Hajime nodded, and the two took seats on the couch. “What should we do until the party starts?”

Tooru yawned. “I’m pretty tired. Maybe we can take a nap for a little bit?”

“Yeah, that sounds good,” Hajime agreed.

Tooru leaned his head back against the back of the couch, Hajime doing the same. Slowly, the two fell asleep. Hajime’s head ended up resting on Tooru’s shoulder as they slept.

-

The two men woke up to a set of knocks on the door of the apartment. Hajime quickly lifted his head off of Tooru’s shoulder as the brunet was still waking up. They both made their way to the door and opened it, seeing Shoyo and Atsumu standing with gift bags in their hands.

“Hello! Thank you for coming,” Tooru said as he stood behind Hajime, rubbing his eyes.

“Of course!” Shoyo replied with a wide smile on his face. Atsumu also smiled.

“Go ahead and set your gift bags on the table.” Hajime pointed to the table where the presents were arranged.

Shoyo and Atsumu did so, and the two were lead to the living room by Tooru and Hajime. Atsumu sat on a chair in the living room, Shoyo sitting on the arm of it. Atsumu wrapped his arm around Shoyo’s waist as Tooru and Hajime returned to the couch.

“You said Takahiro was coming as well, right?” Hajime asked Tooru, tilting his head a bit.

“Yeah, he is,” Tooru said, looking at his phone to see if there were messages from him, but there was nothing. “He must be running a bit late.”

“I’m not surprised.” Hajime shrugged. “He’s usually a few minutes late to anything.”

Tooru chuckled at the comment and turned to the couple on the couch. “How have you two been doing?”

“We’ve been doing great!” Atsumu replied, holding Shoyo’s hand and squeezing it. “We recently came out to our parents and they were accepting. I’m glad I can be with my high school crush without any issues.”

Shoyo leaned into Atsumu’s shoulder, which Tooru loved to see. He knew Atsumu loved Shoyo the second he saw him at the match against Tsubakihara, deeming it love at first sight. He talked about him non-stop and finally confessed to Shoyo after the younger graduated.

“I’m proud of you two,” Hajime told the two, with a minuscule smile on his lips.

“Me too!” Tooru added, with a grin of his own.

“Thank you, guys,” Shoyo told them.

There was a knock at the door and Tooru rushed to stand, hurrying to the door. “That must be Takahiro!”

He opened the door, seeing Takahiro holding a wrapped gift.

“I’m sorry for being late,” Takahiro told Tooru, entering the apartment. “I got stuck in traffic.”

Tooru chuckled. “Are you sure it isn’t because you forgot something while you were on your way here?”

Takahiro stayed silent as he put the present on the table. “Maybe it was both.”

Tooru shook his head. “I’m going to wake Aiko up, and we can start the party. Takahiro, you can go ahead and take a seat on the couch.”

Takahiro walked over to the couch and took a seat on the other side of the couch from Hajime while Tooru walked down the hallway and entered his daughter’s room. He could hear her soft snores and he thought it was adorable. He looked into the crib and saw his daughter with her eyes shut, her arms propping her head up. He didn’t want to wake her up, but he gently tapped her shoulder regardless.

“Aiko,” Tooru called, seeing her shift a bit.

She continued shifting until her bright blue eyes fluttered open. They drooped at first but after she blinked a few times, they opened wide. Tooru smiled. He leaned over the crib and picked her up, holding her close to him. She clung to him and rested her head on his shoulder, which she had done since she was four months old.

“Happy birthday, Aiko,” he told her with a smile on his face even though she couldn’t see it.

She babbled in response and he chuckled. He exited the bedroom and returned to the living room. Hajime chuckled when he saw the way Aiko clung to him.

“I’ve never seen her do that,” Hajime commented, tilting his head. “It’s adorable. Has she always done that?”

Tooru nodded. “Yes, she’s done it for a while. I’m surprised she’s never done it whenever you’re over.”

“That’s so sweet,” Hajime said. “She loves you so much, Tooru.”

Tooru smiled. “Who wants to get the party started?”

There were many whoops and cheers around the room as Tooru sat on the couch next to Hajime.

“Time to let go, Aiko,” Tooru told the one-year-old. He pulled her away from him a bit, but she tightened her grip. Hajime laughed as he watched.

“She doesn’t want to let go of you,” Hajime spoke as he started coughing from laughing so hard.

“Aiko, come on, let go,” Tooru demanded. He tried pulling her away once again, and this time she lost her grip. She whimpered, causing the room to erupt in laughter.

“She’s so cute, Tooru,” Shoyo said. “I hope I’m able to get kids someday.”

Tooru smiled. “They’re a lot of work, but worth it.” Tooru grabbed a present from the table and set it on his lap in front of Aiko. “Let’s open this, Aiko. This is from Shoyo.”

Aiko curiously looked at the bag while Tooru dug through it for her. There was a card in there which Tooru put to the side, and pulled out a bear onesie, a pack of five bows, and a storybook.

“These are so cute, Shoyo!” Tooru told him as he unfolded the onesie and looked at it.

Shoyo laughed. “I saw the bear onesie and immediately thought I should get it.”

Tooru grabbed the card and tore the envelope open. He pulled the card out and saw the cover of the card had Disney princesses on it. On the inside, Shoyo wrote, “Happy birthday to Aiko! We can’t wait to see her grow up! From Shoyo and Atsumu.”

Tooru smiled at Shoyo. “Thank you, Shoyo and Atsumu.”

Shoyo returned the smile. “You’re welcome.”

Tooru set the presents on the table and grabbed Atsumu’s gift bag. He grabbed a cyan dress, a pair of light-up shoes, and a toy cell phone. “She would look adorable in these!”

Atsumu smiled. “I think she’s getting to the age where she should start wearing light-up shoes.”

Tooru laughed as he grabbed the wrapped gift from Takahiro off of the table. A card was taped onto the wrapping paper, and Tooru took it off and set it aside. Aiko was confused when she saw Tooru unwrapping the yellow and pink wrapping paper off of the present. Tooru could hear his daughter babbling quietly to herself when all of the paper was off, and a toy piano was revealed.

“She’s going to love this!” Tooru commented, grabbing the card. The card had read, “I’m so glad Aiko’s one now! She’s grown up so fast. Happy birthday! From Takahiro.”

Tooru smiled, setting the card down. “I can’t believe she’s already one…”

Tooru looked at the table with three gifts from Hajime, all wrapped in gift paper. He grabbed the closest gift, being a small rectangular shape. He unwrapped the gift, revealing the movie  _ Frozen _ . 

Tooru laughed. “I already know she’s going to enjoy this.”

Hajime shrugged with a smirk on his face. “I saw it and thought she should see it. I know a lot of toddlers have enjoyed that movie in the past couple of years.”

Tooru laughed again, grabbing another oddly shaped wrapped gift. When he grabbed it, it felt soft. He unwrapped it and saw it was a stuffed bunny.

“Hajime! This is so cute!” Tooru exclaimed. Aiko almost immediately grabbed it out of his hands and holding it close to her.

“It seemed like something she’d like,” Hajime replied.

Tooru grabbed the last gift from Hajime, which was a cylindrical shape. He grabbed it, once again being something soft. He unwrapped it, and it revealed a  _ Winnie The Pooh _ blanket.

Tooru smiled when Aiko started giggling and pointing at Pooh, babbling something. “She must recognize him.”

“Oh! That’s because I’ve read  _ Winnie The Pooh _ books to her when putting her down for her nap,” Hajime explained.

Tooru smiled and grabbed the presents he got for her. He had gotten her a wagon, a Disney princesses poster, and toy blocks.

“Who’s ready for cake?” Tooru asked, putting all of Aiko’s gifts on the table.

Everyone got up, Tooru carrying Aiko to the kitchen and setting her in her high chair. Everyone found different spots at the kitchen table, while Tooru got the small cake he made for his daughter. He had to force Aiko to let go of the stuffed bunny she had gotten for her birthday, which resulted in her wailing and Hajime having to comfort her.

After she calmed down, everyone watched Aiko destroy the cake and laugh as she made a mess of it, Tooru recording the scene on his phone.

After she made a mess of her cake, Tooru served the cake for the guests and got a piece of it to share with Aiko. Everyone conversed and talked more in-depth about what they had done recently.

After Shoyo, Atsumu, and Takahiro left with a ‘Thanks for coming!’ from Tooru and Aiko had a bath, Tooru and Hajime had put her in her crib with her stuffed bunny and blanket and she fell asleep.

“She won’t let go of the bunny you got her,” Tooru said to Hajime. “She loves it a lot.”

Hajime laughed. “I’m glad she likes it. She looked comfortable covered up in the blanket too.”

Tooru smiled. “Thank you so much for helping out. I’m glad she loves being around you.”

“Of course, Shittykawa,” Hajime replied, earning a scowl from Tooru.

“Hey, I was trying to be nice and you had to call me that stupid nickname from high school?” Tooru glared at Hajime.

Hajime rolled his eyes. “I had to.”

Tooru shook his head. “Well, it’s getting late. Do you want to spend the night?”

“Yeah, sure.” Hajime smiled, lying down on the couch. He grabbed the folded blanket from the back of it and pulled it over himself.

“Do you need anything before I go to sleep?” Tooru asked the other.

Hajime shook his head. “No, I’m good, thank you.”

“Alright, good night,” Tooru told him and turned off the lamp that had lit up the room.

“Good night,” Hajime repeated.

Hajime had fallen asleep but was later woken up by cries. He rubbed his eyes before slowly standing up. He walked to Aiko’s room and turned on the light, seeing her crying in her crib. He picked her up, holding her to his chest and shushing her. Her cries slowly quieted, and he was about to put her back in her crib until she clung to him and tightly grasped the fabric of his shirt. She rested her head on one of his shoulders.

Tooru had entered the room, yawning, and stopped in his tracks when he saw Aiko clinging onto Hajime. His jaw dropped.

“Oh… my… god,” Tooru said, smirking. Hajime turned around and saw Tooru. His eyes were wide.

Hajime was speechless.“Um, I-”

Tooru licked his lips and laughed. “She loves you.”

Hajime had a small smile and he looked down to his feet. “Yeah… please just help me get her off.”

Tooru chuckled and walked over to Hajime, pulling Aiko away from him. She didn’t fight it, and when Tooru found out why, he laughed once again.

“She fell asleep on your shoulder,” Tooru explained, laying her in her crib. He put the  _ Winne The Pooh _ blanket over her and shut off the light. “Let’s go back to bed, Hajime.”

Tooru exited the room, Hajime following.

“Good night,” Tooru told the other as he entered his bedroom.

“Good night, Tooru,” he replied, returning to the living room.

When Tooru laid in his bed, he thought about how much he loved how Aiko was attached to Hajime.

-

A few days after the birthday party, Tooru had returned home from work, seeing Hajime sitting on the couch in tears. He set his keys and wallet on the table in the living room and sat next to Hajime.

“Hajime, what’s wrong?” Tooru asked, furrowing his eyebrows.

Hajime looked up at Tooru, wiping his tears and sniffling. “Nothing.”

Tooru glared at him. “Something’s wrong. You can tell me. What’s up?”

Hajime sighed. “It’s my son and daughter’s birthday today… they turned five. I miss them so much. All I want is to see them.”

Tooru’s face softened as he bit his lip. “I’m sorry… I know it’s hard being away from your kids. Have you saved enough money to sue your ex for custody?”

Hajime shook his head. “No, but I’m almost there. I want to see my kids. They deserve to know their father.”

Tooru smiled. “I know you’ll get there, Hajime. I’m proud of you for setting your mind to this. It’s clear to me that you care about them a lot. Judging by how much Aiko loves you, I know you’d be an amazing father.”

Hajime rubbed his nose and smiled a bit. “Thank you.”

“Of course. Do you want to spend the night?” Tooru offered.

Hajime nodded. “Sure. Thank you for helping. I appreciate it.”

“You’re welcome. Is Aiko asleep?” Tooru asked.

“Yeah, she fell asleep an hour ago,” Hajime told Tooru as he was pulling a blanket over him.

“Alright. Good night, Hajime,” Tooru replied.

“Good night.”

Tooru switched the light off and went to his bedroom. Hajime was left wondering why Tooru’s words had turned his mood around.

-

A month passed and Tooru was at home with Aiko, who was playing with her stuffed bunny when there was a set of rushed knocks at the door. He wasn’t sure who it could be, but he got up from the couch and unlocked the door. He opened it to see Hajime who was shaking, but he had a huge smile on his face.

“Tooru,” Hajime muttered in a shaky but happy voice.

“Are you okay, Hajime?” Tooru asked, furrowing his eyebrows. He had lead Hajime into the living room, and the two took a seat on the couch.

“Tooru, I just filed for custody of my kids!” Hajime exclaimed.

Tooru smiled and pulled Hajime into a hug. “I’m glad you were finally able to do it. I’m happy for you.”

Hajime returned the embrace and settled onto the other’s shoulder. “Thank you.”

The two stayed in the hug for a while before letting go. Aiko jumped onto a couch and crawled over to them, grabbing onto them. Tooru and Hajime began giggling and let her join the hug.

They pulled away from the hug, and Aiko cuddled up to the two of them.

Hajime spent the night. Everyone fell asleep on the couch with the television left on overnight.

-

Tooru was at home when he got a text from Hajime, asking if he wanted to meet his kids. His eyes widened, realizing Hajime won partial custody of his kids. He texted a quick reply and hurried to gather his things and got Aiko ready to leave. After locking the door behind him, he rushed to his car and put Aiko in her car seat, quickly heading to the driver’s seat and started the car.

When he arrived at Hajime’s house, he quickly turned the car off and rushed out of his seat, almost forgetting to unbuckle the seatbelt. He got Aiko out of her car seat and fled to the front door, knocking on it. Hajime almost immediately answered it with a big smile on his face.

“Hello, Tooru!” Hajime greeted him, opening the door.

On the couch inside of the house, two boys and one girl were sitting and talking to each other. One of the boys had short blond hair, presumably from the mother. His eyes were brown like Hajime’s and had dimples. There were a boy and a girl with similar appearances to each other next to the blond, with brown hair and brown eyes. The boy looked like what Hajime could’ve looked like as a child.

“This is Kisho who is six,” Hajime said, pointing to the blond. “And Nyoko and Nobu are five. They’re twins.” Hajime pointed to the girl and then the boy.

“Hi!” the kids exclaimed, getting up from the couch and gathering around Tooru.

Hajime laughed as he watched them as they crowded around Tooru.

“Hello,” Tooru replied, smiling as he saw how happy they looked.

“Who’s that?” Nyoko asked, pointing at Aiko.

“Her name is Aiko,” Tooru told her. “She’s a year old.”

Aiko started babbling as Tooru set her down to go to the other kids, though she ran over to Hajime instead, grabbing his leg.

“Hey, Aiko,” Hajime said, crouching a bit to pick her up. She clung to him tightly, burying her face in his shoulder.

“Dad, she likes you!” Kisho exclaimed.

Hajime laughed. “I’m glad she does.”

Tooru spent the afternoon at Hajime’s house and getting to know his friend’s kids. Kisho, Nyoko, and Nobu took a liking to him quickly, which he liked. Hajime’s kids had gotten along with Aiko as well so Tooru was glad.

“I’m going to head home now before it gets too dark out,” Tooru announced, grabbing his things and picking Aiko up. “I’ll see you later!”

“No! Don’t leave,” Nobu shouted, running over to where Tooru stood by the door.

Tooru laughed as the kid hugged his leg, and he patted his back. The other kids ran up to him as well. “I’m sorry, kiddo, but I have to. I promise I’ll visit you all again soon.”

Nobu looked up at Tooru. “Pinky promise?” He held up a pinky.

Tooru smiled and wrapped his pinky around the other. “Pinky promise.”

Nobu unwrapped his arms around Tooru’s leg and stood back. “I’ll miss you!”

“I’ll miss ya too. Goodbye, everyone!” Tooru waved at the kids and looked at Hajime. “I’ll see you later, Hajime. Since we have separate work schedules, I’m willing to watch them if you need me to.”

“Alright, thank you!” Hajime replied. “Goodbye.”

Tooru left the household and walked to his car, Aiko in his arms. He put her in her car seat and walked to the driver’s seat, getting in and buckling his seatbelt. He started the car and took off toward his apartment.

-

Tooru couldn’t fall asleep. His mind was consumed with these feelings for the man who had helped him with his daughter. He didn’t understand where they came from, they just randomly appeared. All he knew was his feelings for Hajime were uncalled for.

Yes, he may have had a  _ slight _ crush on Hajime in high school. He had gotten over the crush on him after they graduated and stopped talking. He didn’t understand why his feelings had returned.

Tooru noticed his heart would flutter every once in a while around Hajime. He thought he was imagining the sensation, but then it kept happening more often and eventually, he realized,  _ oh fuck, I like him _ .

Tooru turned on his side, hoping he would grow tired and fall asleep. He wished his mind would just  _ shut up _ . He didn’t want to think about love right now. His past marriage crashed and burned and he didn’t want to go through heartbreak again.

_ Not that Hajime likes me back anyway. _

He switched to his other side before he heard crying.

Tooru stood up from the comfort of his bed and stretched, then walked to Aiko’s room. He picked her up out of her crib and held her until she stopped crying. She fell asleep on his shoulder so he gently put her back in her crib. He made his way back to his bedroom and tried his best to fall asleep.

He only slept for two hours that night.

-

Tooru woke up in the morning feeling drowsy and exhausted. He didn’t want to go to work. He didn’t want to face Hajime after he realized how he truly felt, but at the same time wanted to see him. It was complicated.

He sighed, standing up from his bed. He walked over to his closet to grab his work uniform and he went into his bathroom, working through his morning routine. He knew Hajime would come over with his kids to babysit Aiko while he was at work.

He was brushing his teeth when he heard a few knocks on the door. He walked to the door, seeing Hajime outside with Nobu, Nyoko, and Kisho standing with him.

“Morning,” Tooru mumbled, sounding muffled due to brushing his teeth.

Hajime was taken aback by Tooru’s appearance. He had never seen the other man so tired like he was that morning.

“Did you get enough sleep last night?” Hajime asked Tooru, squinting his eyes at the other. He entered the apartment with his kids.

“Yeah, why?” Tooru replied with a faux confused look.

Hajime’s shoulders drooped. “Tooru, I can tell you’re lying. Your eyes are drooping and there are bags under them.”

Tooru held up a finger, telling him to give him a second, and went to the bathroom. He returned a minute later and sighed.

“Fine, I didn’t sleep much last night,” Tooru admitted. “I was… overthinking.”

Hajime’s face softened. “About what? Are you doing okay?”

Tooru thought about what he figured out last night. He wanted to be honest, but he didn’t want to admit his feelings. “I’ll talk to you about it after I get off of work. I’ve got to go. Aiko is in her room sleeping.”

Tooru rushed to grab his bag. Hajime was about to say something, but before he could, the door had already shut, and the other man was off to work. He sighed, then went into Aiko’s room to check on her.

-

Tooru returned home from an exhausting day at work. He entered the house and sighed, setting his bag on the floor next to the couch. Nobu, Nyoko, and Kisho were on the floor coloring, while Hajime was watching television. He stood up from the couch, standing up to greet Tooru.

“Hey, how was work?” Hajime asked, tilting his head.

Tooru sighed once again. “Tiring. I’m going to head to sleep.”

He was about to head in the direction of his bedroom, but before he could, Hajime grabbed his wrist.

“Wait, you said you would tell me what you were overthinking about?” Hajime raised his eyebrows.

Tooru stared at Hajime, before sighing. He had wished he would have forgotten about him saying that.

He bit his lip and fidgeted with his hands. “Um…” He couldn’t figure out how he wanted to explain his newfound feelings. “Well… I realized something new last night. It kind of has something to do with  _ you _ …”

Hajime raised his eyebrows. “Oh? What is it?”

Tooru could feel his heart beating faster in his chest. Was he sure he wanted to admit this?

Tooru bit his bottom lip. “Well… I used to like you in high school. I had gotten over the crush after we graduated and parted ways. Recently… those feelings for you returned.” He couldn’t look Hajime in the eyes.

Tooru hated admitting things like crushes. He thought it was embarrassing, even though his friends have reassured him in the past that liking someone is completely okay.

Hajime looked a bit shocked at the confession. Tooru could tell he was pondering something, most likely just letting what was said to him sink in.

Hajime bit his lip and looked at Tooru. “You do realize I like you too, right?”

Tooru’s eyes widened and his mouth gaped. “You’re kidding… aren’t you?”

Hajime smiled and shook his head. “I like you too, dumbass.”

Tooru smirked and chuckled a bit. “Well, knowing that makes me feel relieved.”

“Do you want to go out?” Hajime asked, tilting his head.

Tooru found Hajime’s hands, taking them in his and squeezing them. “Definitely.”

It wouldn’t take long for the two to begin moving Tooru’s things into Hajime’s house and ending up with matching diamond rings on their left ring fingers.

**Author's Note:**

> Find me at these places!
> 
> [Twitter](https://twitter.com/irisowari) | [Tumblr](https://irisowari.tumblr.com/)


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